Cigars are typically manufactured, either by hand or by machine, with one end that is cut and an opposite end that is closed off to form a cap. The cap must be cut or punctured prior to smoking to allow air and smoke to be drawn through the cap end of the cigar. A variety of devices are known in the art for preparing the cap of the cigar for smoking including punches, V-cutters or notch cutters, knives, scissors, and guillotine cutters.
Exemplary guillotine cutters are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,656,595 to Wong and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0162569 to Smith. These cutters include a housing with a central aperture in which a cigar can be inserted. A pair of oppositely oriented guillotine blades are provided that intersect the aperture and are slideably movable across the aperture to engage and cut through the cigar inserted therein. Each of the blades is biased by a spring to move outwardly away from the aperture to allow insertion of the cigar therein, or the blades can be depressed toward one another and locked in a position lying across the aperture.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0089299 to Belaubre discloses a scissor-like cigar cutter device that discloses the use of cutting blades with toothed portions that cooperate with a gear wheel to enable the blades to move simultaneously and symmetrically about a middle axis. The blades are locked in the closed position using hooks. The blades are unlocked by manually separating the hooks. Once unlocked, a spring forces the blades pivotally apart to an open position.